Social interactions that companion caregivers and other in-home aides provide their clients can stave off the loneliness and social isolation that can have negative effects on memory function.
A recent study out of the University of Michigan School of Public Health looked at the association between how the duration of loneliness a person experiences and their memory function over a 20-year period.
"Based on existing research, loneliness has been associated with cognitive function. However, there's some bias that cannot be ruled out by existing studies," Xuexin Yu, co-author of the study, told HealthLeaders. "For example, loneliness could be a preclinical syndrome of cognitive impairment, rather than being a risk factor, which means it's the individual's withdrawal of social participation because of their impaired cognitive function, leading to loneliness."
Using data from the Health and Retirement study, an ongoing study by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), where loneliness was measured by individuals self-reporting loneliness status, Yu and her team used a longitudinal model that measured the loneliness status of participants in the first eight-year period and then memory function in the subsequent years. Evaluating data from more than 9,000 participants aged 50 and older, they found that a longer duration of loneliness was associated with lower memory scores and faster rate of cognitive decline.
This association was strongest among participants over the age of 65 and women.